The New Order
by Code LJ
Summary: Lady Jaye is the code name of a MI-6 agent assigned to work with an international group based in the United States called GI Joe.  Personnel of this top secret military organization were hand selected from the world's finest military/government workers.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters and they have manipulated themselves so that they can be worked into the story._

_Author's Note: Lady Jaye is the code name of a MI-6 agent assigned to work with an international group based in the United States called GI Joe. Personnel of this top secret military organization were hand selected from the world's finest military and government workers. While most of the organization is American on the base, it employs agents based all over the world. The mission of GI Joe is to thwart terrorism and its attacks on countries that are members of the United Nations, to which it reports._

_**Prologue:**_

"I can't believe you have the gall to stand here and tell me this is something that you chose to do!" a female voice hissed. "Why are you dragging our family's company, with its solid reputation over hundreds of years, its history….why are you dragging it down to _this_ level?"

"I have no choice," a deep male voice answered wearily. "You don't understand what it's like. You've been away, leading your own life. Times are different."

"I just can't believe you aligned with a terrorist organization! What are you _thinking_?" she demanded.

"They are just one client among many. We are foremost a business that needs to make a profit. You need to remember that as you drive around in your fancy car with your designer clothes," he said with contempt.

Her eyes narrowed to slits. "Don't try to play this back on me. You made your decision. Don't expect me to support you." With that, she turned and walked away, ashamed for her uncle and angry at the circumstances.

_Two Weeks Later_…

"So, do you want to grab a bite to eat after we finish here?" Lady Jaye whispered to her partner, trying to stifle a yawn.

He glanced over at her and smirked. "You'd better stay awake. I know it's babysitting, but still, it's a royal and we have to do what we have to do."

She rolled her shoulders and glanced around. "I can't believe they sent us to cover this. Seriously, they couldn't find a couple low level agents to handle it?"

He chuckled. "Now Jaye, don't get your knickers in a knot. There was a threat and we have to assess and make sure it doesn't follow through. Tell you what. I'll treat you to some fish and chips after this, all right?"

She lightly punched his shoulder. "Yeah, don't go for broke on me, fish and chips will do. We really need to work on your people skills," she teased.

A movement had her focus back on her target. Who was that man who was moving closer to the latest royal they had to guard? She glanced at her partner and saw that he had already noticed the movement and his body was tense. They worked together so well that all they needed to do to communicate were a few nonverbal signals, like they were exchanging now. Jaye moved up to confront the man from the front and her partner covered her from the back.

"Oh, pardon me!" apologized Jaye as she "accidentally" bumped into the man, knocking her arm against his hand. The suspect, surprised, dropped what he was holding in his hand and it fell the floor with a loud "clink." Eyes on the suspect, Jaye gently reached down, still playing the innocent, and said, "So sorry, think you dropped this."

She motioned with her hand and the next thing the suspect knew, his hands were handcuffed behind his back. Jaye looked at the object in her hand, turning it over, examining it. It was some sort of gadget with a symbol of a snake stamped in red on it. Frowning, she turned and looked for the hidden MARS mark. Finding it, her frown deepened. She pulled what looked like a cell phone from her pocket and scanned the item.

By this time, the Royal Guards had noticed something was going on and had made their way over. She left them to interrogate the suspect, looking once again at the object in her hand, sighing.

"What is it?" her partner asked gently.

"Some sort of incendiary device," she reported, turning the object over in her hand. "I suspect they'll find a remote on him. Not sure if it was to hurt or to detract attention from a kidnapping. Either way," she shrugged and pulled a metal box from her bag and placed the object in it, "it's neutralized now. Guess we need to follow up with the guards and make our report," she sighed, looking over where the royal was still making his speech. "Rain check on the fish and chips?"

He chuckled. "Maybe we'll have time for at least a drink. You tend to be too negative, you know that?" he teased, pulling her into a mock headlock. "Let's go do our thing."


	2. Chapter 2

_Later That Night….._

"So," she said, toasting her partner, "to another mission complete….even if it was a mini-mission!" she mocked.

Her partner settled back and looked at her. There was plenty of affection between the two and even though he had once hinted at something more, they had never taken that step. Sure, there were times when the sexual tension in the air between them threatened to explode, but they often felt it would ruin the close relationship they already had. She had claimed sex would complicate too much, but he felt they could at least have given it a try. He chuckled at that last thought, which brought her attention back to him from the waitress who had just given them the check.

"Ok, so spill. You said you were going to talk to me about something that would change our lives," she smiled. "Didn't go and fall in love with somebody again, did you?" she teased.

Her partner smiled and leaned forward. "Not quite. I was approached by someone who would like both of us to come work for him and it could mean….everything….." he whispered, awed for a moment by all the money the representative had offered. He knew Alison came from money, but he had fought his way up from poverty from a very young age. He was comfortable now with his MI-6 salary, but it was nothing compared to what he had been offered! "No more mini-missions guarding royals like today, but doing honest to god field work and covert ops, like we love. I hate to see our talent wasted like it is!" he said, frowning, setting his glass down on the table a little harder than he intended.

Jaye's eyes sparkled. "Silly, I was there with you when they met with us about joining that new anti-terrorist group. Have you decided? I wouldn't want to go without you! Nobody knows how to understand me like you," she teased.

He frowned. "No, it's not that. It's another type of offer. More on a private sector."

Jaye leaned forward and settled her hand on her partner's. "Mike, you'd better tell me what you're talking about if it's not the Americans. Who is this person?"

"We've complained about how they're not using our talent lately, how we need to get back out there and do what we love. This will give us the opportunity! We would travel the world and not have to worry about anything ever again. Forget the Americans' offer! They're doomed to failure anyway. Are they really going to let a bunch of foreigners in and let us boss them around? You know how they are! Look," he said, leaning forward, holding her hand tight, his voice more intent, "we've talked about getting out before and going solo. This would just be a step in that direction. With the amount of money we've been promised, we could do this for a few years and then get ourselves settled. What do you say, Ali?"

Jaye squirmed in her seat, uncomfortable. "Who are these people, Mike? They obviously have you worked up and convinced, but I'd like to meet them for myself. Something doesn't seem right about this, I feel it in my gut."

Her partner released her hand, settling back, and frowned at her. "Look, whether you go or not, I've already decided. I love you, Ali, but you've had everything handed to you since you were a kid." He held up his hand to stop her protest. "Yes, I know how you've worked your way up in your MI-6 career, but I'm not talking about that. We're talking about some serious money here. Something I want to do. Can you put aside your gut for a minute and just think about it?" He threw some money down on the table and helped Jaye out of her seat.

Outside of the restaurant, they began to walk back to her apartment.

Jaye frowned. "Mike, who are these people?" she whispered, a feeling of dread overcoming her. She knew he had been unhappy with MI-6 for awhile, and they had discussed starting their own business in the private sector. He had refused to use her family's money, saying if they did, they would own the agency and he didn't want that. She could understand his reasoning. Her family had owned her for 18 years of her life until she had finally put her foot down. She wasn't willing to be in their debt again.

"They're a newly formed organization. They go by the name of Cobra."

Jaye gasped and pulled her hand out of her partner's. "Are you shitting me? That is the organization that the Americans want to fight! That's their biggest threat! Not to mention…."she trailed off, not wanting to mention her family's company. "That was the symbol on the suspect's gadget today! He was going to try to kidnap a royal! You want to work for someone like that?"

He stared at her, an unrecognizable gleam in his eye. "Does it really matter anymore who is on what side? A job is a job. We've done plenty of missions before that can't be any worse than what that Cobra agent was going to do! Don't give me the British patriotism act…you know as well as I do that we are paid to follow orders. However, Cobra will pay us three times as much without all the restrictions!"

Jaye felt a tear trickle down her cheek. How could she not see this coming? She knew he had been unhappy for awhile, but never in her heart did she think he would go over to the "other side."

"I can't go with you," she said sadly. "I wish you would stay with me. Why not go to the Americans and get a fresh new start? It doesn't sound that bad and they promised us that we would be head of the covert ops unit out there as well!" she pleaded.

He stared at her coldly. "I've made my choice and there's no going back. My first order was to recruit you. If you were to say no…." he produced a gun.

She looked at him in horror. "What the hell are you doing?"

He looked at her sadly. "I want you with me. However, if you refuse, I can't leave you to tell the others where I've gone. I love you, Alison, but I have my orders."

He pointed the gun and instinct kicked in. She kicked out and caught him in the knee, making him buckle for a moment. It was long enough for her to knock the gun out of his hand and follow up with a blow to the head. Unfortunately, he had always been physically stronger than she and while this stunned him, it did not knock him out. She turned and ran. Hearing a shot behind her, she felt a burn in her arm, but didn't stop until she was far out of his sight.


	3. Chapter 3

_The following week:_

"It's nice to meet you, Lady Jaye," the blonde commander said, shaking her hand. He motioned towards her arm and said in a light voice, "but I didn't realize they were sending us damaged goods."

She smiled, as she knew was expected. "Sorry, it happened on my last mission with MI-6. I promise you it won't interfere with my duties as a GI Joe."

He chuckled. "I didn't think so. You have quite an impressive record, Lady Jaye. We are lucky that you decided to join us," continued the blonde, whose codename was Duke. "I was disappointed your MI-6 partner decided not to join us, but understand this is a big step."

"Yes, well," she stumbled, still upset about that last night they had together, when he announced he was working for Cobra, "he had another option he decided to go with, sir."

He clapped her on the back. "I'm going to let Cover Girl show you to the female barracks. I'm sorry to say that right now, we only have three females on the team. Cover Girl is a mechanic in the motor pool and pretty much can fix and drive anything. Scarlett, our other agent, is one of our intelligence officers, so you will be working closely with her. I'll leave you to get settled," he said, dismissing her from his office.

"Yes, sir," replied Lady Jaye, looking at the woman who entered the office at Duke's gesture. She was a pretty blonde with a face that looked like it graced magazines. Jaye gave her a polite smile. The blonde, Cover Girl, gave her a big grin which lit up her face. "Finally! It's nice to have another female here among all the testosterone! Welcome, Lady Jaye!"

She chattered on as Jaye followed her down the corridors to the female barracks. Apparently Cover Girl was an appropriate choice for her as she had been a former model. However, she was more at home in a garage with her arms buried up to their elbows in grease, she joked. Jaye couldn't help but like this bubbly American girl and soon found herself telling her a little of her own background. She had decided that she would abbreviate her history so that she was a former actress turned MI-6 operative. No need to mention the extravagant lifestyle of her childhood or her ties with the Cobra organization, however distant they were. She was still reeling with shock about her family's company's relationship with Cobra and with her former partner defecting to them as well…..her decision to go to GI Joe had been made for her. She couldn't stay with MI-6 and stand the looks she was given, nor answer any questions about her former partner. It had been her only escape route.

They finally reached the female barracks and both girls nodded at the MPs at the entrance. "Since it's just us 3, we pretty much have run of the place," Cover Girl giggled. "We each have our own bedroom with a main living area we share, along with a kitchen. Scarlett and I have been trying to make it a little less homely and drab. Hopefully you'll approve!"

"Where is Scarlett?" asked Jaye as she entered the apartment knowing immediately it was empty.

"Oh, she's on a mission. You'll meet her when she gets back. She's a red head with a hot temper, but it blows over pretty easily. I hope we'll all get along! I'm pretty laid back and Scarlett's a bit of a slob….hope you aren't a neat freak!" she giggled again.

Jaye sighed. While not a "neat freak," she did like to keep her living quarters neat and organized. She noticed her boxes stacked in a corner of the living area and decided to start working on making at least her bedroom her own. While the other two girls had added touches here and there, it still felt very spartan. Jaye figured a shopping trip into town was in order at some point. Maybe she'd wait until the woman, Scarlett, came back. No use getting off on the wrong foot with someone you have to live with for god knows how long!

"I'll leave you to get settled, then," said Cover Girl, uncomfortable in the silence. She wasn't sure what to think of the latest recruit. Some of the foreign agents that had joined GI Joe had been a little strange. She hoped that this female wouldn't be one of them. "I need to head back to the motor pool."

Jaye gave her what she hoped was a friendly smile and nodded. Right now, her throat felt so tight, she was afraid she'd start to cry if she said anything. Snap together, she told herself sternly. You made your choice, he made his. While it broke her heart to know they were now on opposite sides, she hoped they would never meet in battle. What would her new allies think if they knew how closely she was related to their biggest enemy? Would they shun her? Haze her? She had no clue, but didn't want to find out. She had used her influence at MI-6 to make sure her file said nothing about her connection with MARS nor about her former partner's defection. It was better that way, she reasoned, but still felt guilty for the lie.


	4. Chapter 4

After unpacking and personalizing her bedroom, Lady Jaye decided to find the training room. She could use something to help ease the tension she felt. Closing her eyes, she recalled the map of the base. Along with a photographic memory and a quick wit, she also was an impressive gymnast, which helped her out many a time in combat.

Since the organization had just formed, there were many new faces in the hallways, so hers was not unusual other than the fact that she was female. She had many appraising looks, which she ignored, but answered the friendly greetings she received from many of her new coworkers with one of her own. No one who greeted her realized that this seemingly confident, friendly woman was really tied in knots inside!

She entered the training room and looked around in amusement. Obviously it had been designed for the men on the base. A weight area was on one side of the room and was busy by the look of the men clustered over there. However, their attention wasn't on the weights but on the other side of the room where there was a makeshift ring that was surrounded by a few bleachers. However, the bleachers were empty and the crowd was standing around the ring watching a training session in progress.

Two men were trying to best each other, with a third pointing out faults and mistakes to the others. It seemed the two were an even match and she saw a few dollars exchange hands. Men, she rolled her eyes, and made her way over.

"Can it, Beach Head," one of the men growled as he struggled with his partner, in response to one of the caustic comments thrown out by the man who Jaye now recalled was the drill sargeant. She smiled. She now recognized the face and had worked with this man before in a covert ops training center, back when she had been a recruit. He hadn't been known as "Beach Head" at that point but she couldn't recall his real name other than he had been a staff sergeant. It seemed GI Joe didn't really recognize military rank, other than the commanding officer and his second in command.

Finally the one who had growled at Beach Head managed to pin his opponent and a cheer went up, along with more money changing hands, she noticed in amusement. She rolled her eyes as the winner made some sort of macho remark and beat his chest. Typical, she thought, wondering what exactly she had gotten herself into. She was used to being surrounded by men, but there had always been a few more females than just the three that were stationed here.

She moved into Beach Head's line of sight and gave him a smile. He recognized her immediately and he smirked.

"Okay, Flint, now that you're done crowing, I have a new opponent for you. Come on up here, Lady Jaye," he said, holding out his hand to her as she climbed in the makeshift ring. All at once, the men grew silent, wondering what the hell Beach Head was up to. She could tell that's what the one he had called "Flint" was thinking.

"You can't expect me to fight her!" he exclaimed, surprised. "She's just a girl!"

Jaye narrowed her eyes. She hated when others underestimated her. Then again, it had gotten her out of several scrapes in her career, so it wasn't quite that bad.

Beach Head chuckled. "Flint, meet Lady Jaye, our new covert ops. I had the pleasure of training her a few years back. You still prefer your javelins?" he teased.

She gave him an easy smile. While he had spent most of the time barking at her and the fellow recruits, after she had made it through the first round, they had a kind of mutual respect, which had led to an almost friendship.

She turned to her opponent and held out her hand. "Flint…the Warrant Officer, right? Figure that outranks me," she said with a smile. "I hope you don't mind sparring with a girl," she said in a teasing voice. Her easy voice hid her true feelings. While her emotions were in a turmoil, she knew how to push them down and harness the anger to her advantage.

He gave her a baffled look and turned to Beach Head. "You can't be serious!" he exclaimed. "She even has her arm in a sling," he said, indicating her arm. She shook her head and looked at Beach Head and shrugged. "Should be healed by now anyway," she said and took the sling off, stretching her arm. "So, soldier, we going o' not?" she said, her accent slipping out in her growing irritation of the man's condescending attitude. She had adopted an American tone so she wouldn't stand out, but this man's refusal was bordering on rude. She adopted a stance and looked over at the burly Marine standing by the edge of the ring. "I'll put in 50 that I drop him in less than 5 minutes."

A murmur went through the men and Beach Head couldn't help but grin. He hadn't like the cocky attitude the Warrant Officer had shown so far and he loved the fact that one of his former recruits would put him in his place. "I'll double that," added Beach Head with a grin.

"Are we going o' not?" Jaye shot at Flint. He looked around at the crowd that had grown in size. "Don't say I didn't warn you," he said, a flash of pity in his eyes. That did it. She would drop him in one, she decided. She had enough experience with men like him who thought that just because she was female, she couldn't do the job of a man.

All of a sudden, he came towards her, and she defly moved to the side, twisted his arm back, kicked her leg out, and, to everyone's amazement, flipped him onto his back. It happened so fast that no one was quite sure how she did it. There was a moment of stunned silence and then a cheer rang out from the crowd.

Jaye stood over Flint and offered a hand up. "Rule one," she said, her tone deliberately light (she didn't want to make an enemy of the second in command), helping the stunned officer up, "never underestimate your opponent." At this, Beach Head guffawed. He wiped tears from his eyes and patted Lady Jaye on the back. "Nice job. You never cease to amaze me. Where did you learn that one?"

Jaye gave a cheeky grin. "Not sure. Just something I picked up somewhere." She collected her $50 from the Marine and made her way out of the training room, amid the well wishers and pats on the back.

Flint was left to stare in amazement. "Who the hell was that again?" he said to Beach Head, who was still grinning.

"That would be your new covert ops expert, former MI-6. Oh, did I forget to mention that last part?" he said, still chuckling as he, too, made his way out of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

By dinner, Lady Jaye had made a lot of new friends, as well as gained a few admirers. Cover Girl sat down beside her, eyes wide. "I heard about the training session," she said, her voice low. "How on earth did you manage to bring him down? I'm taking pointers from you from now on!" she said, impressed.

Jaye waved her fork. "It's nothing, really. I had some energy to burn and he happened to be there. Maybe now the guys around here won't underestimate us as much," she said with a smile.

"From what I heard," Cover Girl said, her voice still low, "the one you took down, he is really against women in this unit. Guess he'll think again before he runs his mouth," she said with a giggle.

The mess hall got quiet as Flint and Duke entered. Eyes glanced from Flint back to Lady Jaye. While embarrassed about all the attention (apparently she had been the first to take down the Warrant Officer), she held it in check.

Beach Head sat down next to Jaye and smiled. "Glad to see you're still in the same shape as when you left," he said. "I was surprised you joined the unit, to tell you the truth, but not surprised they invited you. I checked your file. Very impressive. Always knew you'd be great. Figured we couldn't take you too far away from Scotland, though," he chuckled.

Jaye smiled. "It's nice to see you, too. Not looking forward to the PT Hell sessions you usually do, but it's nice to see a familiar face," she said simply.

Beach Head looked startled then chuckled at her PT comment. "Yeah," he agreed, looking around, "I'll have them whipped into shape in no time."

Jaye was glad for Beach Head's support since it seemed that Flint's pride still rankled, judging by the look he gave in her direction when Duke slapped him on the back, laughing about something. She wasn't sure if it was directed at her or Beach Head, but she hoped she hadn't made an enemy.

She and Courtney were soon surrounded by guys, and they all began sharing their backgrounds. It seemed that they were a very eclectic group, coming from all areas of government and military backgrounds, as well as from several different countries. At one point, she realized she had lapsed into Russian with a former KGB agent, codenamed Oktober, when she saw that everyone at the table was staring at them. She blushed and translated for them. Oktober's broken English wasn't bad, but he seemed to enjoy meeting someone else who could speak his native language fluently. In fact, of the other foreign agents, there was not one she could not talk to in their native tongue. The only exception, of course, was the Native American, Spirit, who had joined the group. Jaye was not sure of his specialty, but he had an air of serenity around him that commanded respect from everyone.

Jaye had settled into life at GI Joe pretty easily. To everyone, she seemed a quiet, intelligent person with a wicked sense of humor. No one had a clue of how much she was hurting on the inside. She made sure of that, only tearing up at night when the thoughts of her former partner and family would sneak into her head. When that happened, sleep usually eluded her and she would go out to the main living area and watch TV, making sure to keep it low so that Cover Girl would not wake.

It was during one of those times that she first met Scarlett. Hearing the lock tumble, Jaye glanced up at the red head that stormed into the room and dropped her bag. She gave a start when she saw Jaye. "Who the hell….oh, you're the MI-6 agent….Lady Jaye?"

"Yes," Jaye got up and held out her hand, not sure how to read Scarlett. She seemed angry and Jaye didn't need it directed at her, but it seemed she had no choice.

Scarlett looked at her hand a moment then held out her own. "Scarlett. Intelligence. Aren't you supposed to be sleeping or something?" she asked, irritable. She had hoped to come home, grab a snack, and then collapse on her bed, not entertain some newbie.

Jaye shrugged and made a motion towards the kitchen. "You look tired. Want me to heat up some of the leftovers from dinner Courtney and I made tonight? It's no trouble," she said, keeping her voice calm although she was just as irritated at the interruption as Scarlett was.

"Whatever," Scarlett said, rolling her eyes. "Look, I'm just going to grab something and go to bed. I'd go to, if I were you…I hear Beach Head's calling ya'll early tomorrow for PT," she said in a soft southern drawl.

"Nice to meet you, too," murmured Jaye to Scarlett's back as she slammed the door. Good thing Cover Girl was not a light sleeper!


	6. Chapter 6

It did not get any better with Scarlett. Apparently she was a friend of Flint's and he was still sore about the turn Jaye had given him. He seemed to take it as a personal affront. Cover Girl was just as puzzled at Scarlett's behavior, telling Jaye when they were alone that she normally wasn't like that.

It came to a head, though, one day in the training room when Lady Jaye was working with Snake Eyes, the ninja GI Joe had recruited. He had heard of Jaye's moves with Flint and saw potential. Jaye was also not opposed to learning something new.

When Scarlett entered, Snake Eyes had his hand on Jaye's waist, guiding her through a move. Apparently the female apprentice wasn't too happy and let loose a string of curses that even made the ninja flinch behind his mask.

"WHAT is your problem?" yelled Jaye, losing her temper. She had held it in check too long and it now had turned into a raging inferno.

"YOU are!" yelled Scarlett back at her. "Who the HELL do you think you are, coming in here with your snobby British attitude and taking over? This here is America, honey, we beat your tyranny long ago!"

"How narrow minded can you be?" challenged Jaye back. "For one, _honey_," she said, mocking Scarlett's accent, "I'm Scottish. Second, I was invited…..you don't like it, talk to Duke! Now either shut your mouth or be prepared to have it shut for you!"

Snake Eyes was gesturing to Scarlett, but she deliberately turned her back on him, facing Jaye. "Any time, any place, _Scotty_," she challenged.

Jaye made a "come hither" gesture and Scarlett came at her in a blind rage. Jaye channeled her anger into her fighting.

They were an even match, the crowd agreed as they watched. Somehow, the word had gotten out that a "cat fight" had broken out in the training ring, and the room was packed.

Scarlett's fighting style was angry, but powerful. Lady Jaye's showed more control, her face focused, showing no emotion.

"Enough!" shouted Duke as he entered the room. The crowd scattered, leaving only Jaye and Scarlett. Their breathing ragged, they both looked at the commanding officer. "If you are going to kill someone, let it be Cobra, not each other!"

The women looked at him, then at one another. "Not too bad," Scarlett spoke first. "I haven't had this kind of match for awhile. It was good."

Jaye was surprised, being that she felt the same way. She smiled at Scarlett and held out her hand. "I'm Alison….you are?"

Scarlett smiled in return. "Shana. Nice to meet you. Covert ops, right?"

Duke looked from one to the other. "I will never understand women," he muttered, walking away, which made the two smile wider.

"You know," Scarlett said to Jaye, "we should stick together. We're a little outnumbered here, but I like to know we intimidate the hell out of the guys!"

Jaye laughed. "Deal."

Scarlett hooked her arm in Jaye's. "Okay, you have to tell me something though….how the hell did you knock Flint on his ass? Think you can show me? It's nice to meet a girl who has new moves!"


	7. Chapter 7

Lady Jaye was anxious to be on her first mission. It seemed like she had been at the Joe base for weeks with no assignment other than to get in shape. She rarely had this much time in between missions at MI-6! She felt a sense of relief when Duke finally called her in for a briefing.

The relief quickly turned to dread when she found out who the mission leader was – Flint. She noticed he still gave her a look at times and figured his male ego hadn't healed just yet. As the CO for the mission, he could potentially make her life hell. While Scarlett assured her he was a professional, Jaye wasn't quite sure. She couldn't quite interpret the looks he gave her, especially when she was with Beach Head, who made a point to tell her how much he disliked the second in command.

"I had hoped to send in both of our covert ops for this, but unfortunately we have not found a replacement as of yet," said Duke. Jaye's eyes darkened briefly, but she made a show of looking at the file in front of her to compose herself. Flint looked at Duke questioningly, but Duke didn't offer any other explanation. "Jaye, knowing that you're fluent in German, we want to send you inside to where we believe Cobra is holding a recruiting fair of some sorts. Apparently, they're based in a former weapons factory owned by…."he checked his file, "MARS Industries. Flint will be your contact on the outside. This is merely a recon, no engagement, got that?" he asked the pair. They both nodded. "Good." He turned to Jaye. "I've heard you can blend in so well, you disappear. I hope those rumors are true."

She nodded, saying nothing. Duke gave a few more specifics of the mission then dismissed the two. They stood and Flint spoke to Lady Jaye. "We leave at 0300 hours. Be packed and ready to go at the airstrip. We'll be parachuting in, so make sure you have a pack from storage checked. I assume that won't be a problem," he said, his eyes narrowed at her blank expression. She shook her head, hoping that the sensation of her stomach dropping was not showing on her face. She hated heights, with a passion. It was something she had tried to overcome. Anyone witnessing a jump would never know it, but her insides were in knots every time she had to do it.

Before 0300 she was out on the tarmac, waiting. Despite having to work with Flint, who obviously had a growing dislike of her, she was excited. This was what she had come here for, what she loved to do. She briefly thought of her former partner and how he was doing, but dismissed him quickly from her mind. Knowing now what she did of Cobra, he had either risen in the ranks quickly or was dead in an unmarked grave.

Flint came out of the shadows where he had been watching her, seeing the different expressions she had let cross her face. She was a very hard soldier to read, he had noticed, often keeping her face blank, like she did during the mission briefing. While his pride still smarted from when she had thrown him in front of his boys, he had put that behind him. What he didn't like was her association with Beach Head. The PT Instructor did everything but outright insubordination with the second in command. He hoped that wouldn't rub off on her. After reading her file, he was impressed with her years at MI-6 and her success rate. While she had worked with a partner on most of her assignments, the name had been blacked out in her file. He wondered why. There was also some missing background from her childhood, only saying she had a dual citizenship between America and Scotland, being that her mother was American, but that young Alison had been raised in Scotland. The names of her parents had also been blacked out, along with the names of her closest relatives. Although he was sure it was for security reasons, he had to wonder why.

Deciding he had let her wait long enough, not wanting to be counted late himself, he joined her as Ace, their pilot, came from the direction of his plane.

Ace looked at Lady Jaye and gave her a killer smile. She couldn't help but smile in return. "I see you get to have the pleasure of my company on this mission. Glad to be of assistance," he said charmingly, holding out his hand for her duffel.

Jaye rolled her eyes and laughed. "Ok, that was pretty corny. You ready, flyboy?" She said over her shoulder as she carried her own duffel to the waiting plane.

"Be still my heart," teased Ace, following her. Flint frowned. This was a mission. They should be serious. Still, he didn't reprimand the two since it seemed it was harmless. In Flint's experience, soldiers had all sorts of ways to get ready for a mission. Maybe this was theirs. It was his first time working with either of the two, so he chose to be silent and observe.

As they neared the German airspace, Ace and Jaye grew quiet and she left the cockpit to sit in the back. Flint took the time to go over some last minute details with Lady Jaye. She nodded her head and asked several questions, but other than that, said nothing. He noticed her looking to the door several times and taking a deep breath.

"You have been trained for this, haven't you?" he asked gruffly, concerned by her glances.

She turned to look at him and he thought he saw a flash of something cross her eyes, but he wasn't sure what. The guarded look was back in her eyes when she responded. "I know what I'm doing. I don't have to like it, but I am well trained, I guarantee it. I won't let you down," she said softly.

Ace shouted from the cockpit that it was time. Instinctively, Flint reached out and squeezed Lady Jaye's hand. "You'll be fine," he assured her, letting her hand go. She looked at him curiously, but then turned towards the door. Taking a deep breath, she unlatched it and jumped before her brain could catch up to her body's actions.


	8. Chapter 8

Jaye was a professional. She was also an accomplished actress and enjoyed losing herself in the role she was assigned to play. When Duke said to be a German triathlon athlete, that is what she became. She was soon invited by a Cobra recruiter to attend a meeting at the former weapons facility.

After sending a message to Flint, she entered the facility along with the crush of other Germans who had been invited. She surveyed the group. They had recruited the fit, but also hopeless individuals who had experienced tragedy and poverty, despite their former accomplishments. Many were crushed spirits that were waiting to be rebuilt. Cobra intended to do just that. She let herself be swept by the tide of bodies into the main room.

She listened to the many benefits of joining Cobra, and thought briefly of what her former partner had said about being recruited or dying. She wondered what would happen if someone said no in this crowd. There was no telling. Her job was to report about the meeting and how Cobra was selecting, contacting, and recruiting their people. She glanced at the blue-clad soldiers guarding the doorways, guns slung on their shoulders. Their snake-insignia was red-stamped on the chests of their uniforms, reminding Jaye of the device she had wrestled from the suspect months ago. At this point, her only escape route was to agree to join and then somehow slip away. She had the pen in her pocket that was her signal to Flint. All she had to do was click it twice and his device would pick up her homing signal. She hoped she wouldn't have to use it.

As she listened to the speech drone on and on by the projection of Cobra Commander on the large screen in front of the factory, she felt the hairs on her neck stand on end. _He_ was here. She just knew it. While she was glad he wasn't dead, she knew that he could blow her cover sky high. No telling what Cobra training had done to him. She shivered slightly, thinking back to him holding a gun to her. She had not thought that possible, either.

She casually glanced around as if she was studying the room out of curiosity. She knew how well he blended in and probably wouldn't appear to her unless he chose to. Hopefully, he didn't realize she was there. She also tended to blend in as well.

Cobra Commander stopped droning on and on the stage stepped another of her nightmares. She carefully composed her face but anger burned inside her. _How dare he!_ He said the only association with Cobra was as a client, yet here he was recruiting for them! _Damn him_! Before she could stop herself, her fists clenched. She forced herself to relax, knowing that any wrong movement on her part would be deadly. Between her uncle and her former partner, she was in a nightmare situation. Maybe she _should_ have confided in at least Duke about her associations with Cobra. Too late now, she reckoned, as the crowd began to move towards one of the doors. Those that wanted to join left through one door. The other door was for those that needed time to "think." Jaye was not surprised to hear gunshots echo from that side of the building as she finally exited the building. Her former partner had apprised her of such a fate.

The "recruits" were being herded onto a transport. Jaye looked for an opportunity for escape. She reached into her pocket to click the pen, but hesitated. While she would love to find the location of the Cobra base or training ground, she wasn't sure if she was equipped to go that deep undercover.

She saw her chance to escape when one of the guards shouted out to another. One of the "recruits" had stumbled, knocking into one of the soldiers. While they were dealing with that, Jaye worked herself to the outside of the crowd and escaped into the woods, blending into the trees. She dropped behind a bush, flattening herself to the ground. She was sure she had escaped the guard's attention, but wasn't sure if one of the "recruits" would call out, or worse yet, if her former partner had seen her. She could feel that he was there. They had worked together too closely for too long. If he had seen her, she wasn't sure how it would be handled.


	9. Chapter 9

Jaye reached into her pocket and clicked the pen twice when she heard the transport take off. She remained in her position for another ten minutes before she got slowly to her feet. Brushing herself off, she heard a twig crack and froze.

"I'd know you anywhere," whispered a voice in her ear. She felt a gun at her back. "Do you think you'd escape that easily?" He brushed his lips across the back of her neck. "Ali, come with me. It isn't a chance encounter, you know that."

She sighed and let her body go limp. Knowing that he was familiar with all her MI-6 attacks, she tried one of the ninja moves Snake Eyes had taught her, which soon had him on his back, her on top, the gun flung from his hand.

She studied her former partner. She wouldn't have recognized him. "What happened to you?" she asked sadly, tracing the dark spots around his eyes.

"Genetic mutation. Now I can literally blend into any situation or object. Side effect," he said breathlessly.

She eyed the gun lying nearby and sensed that he knew what her next move was. They lunged for it at the same time. A shot made both of them freeze.

Flint stood there staring at the two. He had witnessed her throwing him, but he was confused at her hesitation and conversation with him. While he couldn't hear anything, it was almost as if she knew him. However, she was one of his soldiers, and it was his duty to make sure she came back in one piece. Flint leveled his gun at the man and told him to stand.

Lady Jaye stood there, torn. She hadn't anticipated on Flint being this close, answering her call this quickly. She wanted to help her former partner desperately, to bring him back, but knew that her sense of duty would win out. She stepped to the side so that Flint had a clear shot at him. She put her faith that Flint wouldn't shoot and ask questions later, that Scarlett's assessment of him as a professional was true.

Her former partner smiled as he looked from Flint to Lady Jaye.

"Who are you?" demanded Flint. "Identify yourself!"

"With pleasure," he murmured. Bowing to Lady Jaye, he said simply, "I am Zartan." With that, he literally faded from their eyes.

"What the hell?" Flint barked, blinking and looking at the spot where Zartan had been standing seconds before.

"Genetic mutation," murmured Lady Jaye. Putting her hand on Flint's arm to get his attention, she said, "Let's get out of here. He's gone."

Flint nodded, still puzzled. As they walked to where Flint had hidden his vehicle, Jaye turned around and murmured something in Gaelic.

"What was that? It sounded pretty." Flint asked. He noted the pale look of his partner. "Are you okay?"

"I will be," she sighed. "Let's get out of here."

Zartan watched from the shadows. His heart went out to his former partner, now his adversary, and he echoed her words in English. "Until we meet again, my love."


	10. Chapter 10

_Back at Headquarters_

The ride back from Germany had been uneventful, Flint and Lady Jaye both lost in their own thoughts. While Ace tried to get a rise out of her with his flirtatious comments, her response was lackluster and soon, he too lapsed into silence. He could tell something was heavy on the mind of the covert agent and shrugged to himself, thinking that he'd have to catch her later in a less serious mood.

At the debriefing, Lady Jaye let Flint do most of the talking, only speaking about her observations of the recruitment and then explaining how she had escaped. Duke asked a few questions and she gave him her personal opinion on the matter, but then grew silent. She had not mentioned Zartan and caught Flint looking at her strangely. She sighed.

"There was also an encounter with a Cobra agent, sir," she began, watching Flint tense up out of the corner of her eye. "I managed to subdue him, but it was good that Flint showed up when he did to help with the situation. Unfortunately, he got away before we could question him further," she told Duke.

Duke nodded. "Make sure you note that on your report as well. Any information we can have on Cobra's agents will help us immensely. You did a good job," he said, patting Lady Jaye's shoulder. "I've already heard from Flint how well you blended in with your cover. We're very impressed. We expect great things," he said with a smile.

"Thank you, sir," said Jaye seriously. "I will go write up my report now, if that's okay."

At Duke's nod, she tried not to flee from the room, making herself walk at a normal pace to the room that housed the intelligence office.

Flint shut the door behind her. Duke looked at him questioningly.

"What's on your mind, Flint?"

Flint leaned against the table and frowned. "What do we really know about Lady Jaye and her past with MI-6? Do you think it could've been used as a cover? Looking at her file, there's a lot of holes."

Duke straightened up and looked hard at Flint. "Why are you asking this? What happened during the mission that's made you suspicious?"

Flint's frown deepened. "There was something about the encounter with the Cobra agent. Something about it doesn't sit right with me. I was there when I saw her take him down, but once he was down, she hesitated. Not sure why, other than it looked like they were talking to one another."

Duke laid his hand on his friend's shoulder. "I can understand your suspicions, I really can. All I can say to you at this point is to keep an eye on her."

Flint started to protest, but Duke's hand tightened on his shoulder, interrupting him. "I can't say anything more on her file. It's highly classified. I don't even know what's behind the blackout. She was recruited by General Hawk. Need I say more?"

Flint shook his head. "Look, Conrad, I'm going to keep an eye on her. The way she handled that Cobra agent doesn't sit right with me. He's had some sort of genetic mutation so that he literally camouflages with his surroundings. If she knows something about that, she needs to let intell know. Anything we can learn about these guys…"

Duke nodded. "If I don't see it in her report, I'll ask her about it, ok? If she was chosen by Hawk, one of our strongest supporters and founding members, then she's okay. I know you, Dash. You're like a dog with a bone sometimes. Just make sure your 'keeping an eye out' doesn't border on harassment, ok? That's the last thing we need."

Flint started to say something, but stopped himself. No use getting himself in trouble with Duke. He simply nodded and then left the room.

Lady Jaye frowned at her report. While everything in it was accurate, it did leave out a few of her personal details. She sighed. Like I'm going to put in that I saw my uncle and encountered my former partner at the Cobra party. Oh, better yet, that my family's business is helping Cobra. Yeah, that will go over well, she thought sarcastically.

Picking up the file, she got up to leave the small office, but was blocked by Flint's frame filling the doorway. "Report ready?" he asked, taking it from her.

Jaye frowned. She really didn't like the high handed way the second in command handled things, especially people. She bit her lip to keep from making a rude comment. He was already suspicious of her, she knew. No need to go stirring that pot!

"I see that you didn't mention your observation of the Cobra agent," he said, flipping through her report.

"I didna' say it was finished, did I?" Jaye let out, her frustration showing in her brogue. "Ye took it from me before I could say anything."

Flint gave her an intimidating stare, which she returned with one of her own. Forget that the man was her superior. She really didn't care at the moment. "That's something for intelligence to handle, isn't it?" she asked him, trying to center her emotions, her American accent back in place. "I was going to report to Scarlett about the details of the agent we encountered. Is that all, _sir_?" she asked, trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice, but failing to do so.

Not waiting for him to answer, she took the file from his hand and pushed past him into the hallway, leaving a stunned warrant officer behind her.

"You should've seen his face," Lady Jaye told Cover Girl and Scarlett, trying not to laugh. "I don't think anyone's ever dared to say something like that to him before."

Scarlett laughed loudly, causing the others in the mess hall to look over at the three females huddled at the end of the table. So far, they had been left to themselves. "I don't think anyone has," she commented, still chuckling. "I would have loved to see it! Taking him down a few pegs. I knew I liked you," she grinned at Jaye.

Cover Girl looked over at Scarlett. "Hey, I thought he was your friend."

"Well, sure, but it doesn't mean I don't mind seeing him taken down a peg or two."

"With his arrogant attitude, maybe he needs it!" retorted Jaye. "I swear, he watches me all the time, just to catch me slip up!"

Cover Girl grinned. "Are you sure that's the reason he's watching you all the time? I hear that Ace is a bit smitten with you," she teased.

Scarlett snorted. "Hey, when there's only three of us here with boobs, we're bound to get attention and talked about! Men!" she snorted, rolling her eyes.

"Uh oh," Cover Girl exclaimed, poking Jaye in the side to get her attention. "Flint at ten o'clock!"

"Guess that's my cue to leave," said Jaye to the girls, getting up and dumping her tray. "See you later. I'm going to catch a nap since I pulled late night guard duty." She skirted around the table to the door so she wouldn't be in Flint's path. She'd had enough of the warrant officer lately and her control on her temper seemed to slip every time he was around.


	11. Chapter 11

Each time Lady Jaye and Flint were paired for a mission, he continued to be impressed by her professionalism. Her ability to blend into any situation, anywhere, made her a valuable asset to the team. She did nothing more to raise his suspicion, and he grew to like having her along. She had a quick wit and could hold her own with the men on the team. She was friendly, outgoing, but got down to work and focused solely on the mission when it was needed. Flint wasn't the only one impressed. Her teammates enjoyed working with her both on and off missions. They smiled affectionately at her preferred weapon choice, the javelin, but her specialized weapons often got them out of tricky situations. There was talk that she was a former Olympian with her skill. In fact, much about her background was not known, other than she formally worked for MI-6 before she became a GI Joe, and that she had dual citizenship in both America and Great Britain. She did not talk about her family and did not have pictures in her apartment. They whispered she had traveled the world, since she was well educated and spoke a multitude of languages fluently. She interacted with both the American and foreign team members equally. Even Beach Head, whose standards were high even for the commanding officers, felt some affection for her, although he didn't give her an ounce when going through his training. It wasn't his style and she didn't expect it. However, he admired her because he knew she gave her all whether it was on a simple training routine or a mission.

Beach Head approached her one evening in the mess hall. It was nearly deserted, but Jaye was still there, reading a book while she ate her meal. He glanced at the book and shook his head. "What exactly is that?" he asked in way of greeting.

She looked up at him and smiled, motioning the seat next to her. Beach Head always got straight to the point. "Faust. In German," she said, closing the book and looking at him. She shrugged. "Sometimes it loses a lot being translated into another language. I'd rather read the original. What's up?"

Beach Head chuckled. "That's what I like about you, straight to the point, Lady Jaye. I wanted to run something by you for tomorrow's session. Being that you've suffered through me before, I wanted your opinion about bringing back an obstacle." He began to describe to her his thoughts. She interjected her own thoughts as well, correcting him here and there about things. They left the mess hall still talking, passing the few stragglers lingering in the room.

Flint shook his head and looked at Duke, amused. "Even _Beach Head_," he chuckled. "Guess I didn't have to worry about much with her if _he_ approves of her. He likes no one!"

Duke looked at his friend. "I take it your suspicions were unfounded?"

Flint shrugged. "Maybe it was just me being paranoid and looking for something that wasn't there. It was my first time working with her. God knows what the Brits train their agents to do!" he chuckled.

Beach Head and Jaye had reached the female barracks. "You have some time off coming up, don't you?" he asked. "What are you planning to do?"

Jaye shrugged. "Be nice to see some of civilization again," she joked. "Explore a little…it's been awhile since I've been stateside. Most of my time was based back home. Frankly," she continued, "it might be nice to have some alone time. You don't really get that here, do you?"

Beach Head chuckled. "We are kind of on top of each other, aren't we? Well, have fun! Don't get too crazy – I'll have the new course ready for when you return!" he said, walking away.

Lady Jaye nodded to herself, walking away. How was she going to spend her time off? Being on the base had been nice. She would never admit it to anyone, especially her teammates, but it felt safe. She was protected from running into her past. No matter how she kept trying to put it behind her, it seemed to loom up with every mission that involved Cobra. She hadn't run into "Zartan" or her uncle again, thank goodness! She had thought her family's company would only be a supplier, not a supporter, but it seemed that they were in deeper than she thought. I really need to talk to Duke about it, she sighed, going into her room to pack. She threw some clothes in her duffel and dressed in jeans, white button down shirt and leather jacket. She smiled to herself as she threw the bag over her shoulder. She had three days furlough and wanted to explore nearby D.C. She'd go to a few museums, take in a few shows, and find a nice hotel to relax in. A bubble bath sounded heavenly at this point. Jacuzzi tub definitely, she thought. She looked in her drawer and grabbed her wallet out, putting it in her pocket.

Making her way to the motor pool, she grinned at Courtney who took in her outfit and whistled. "Nice to see you out of the greens there, Ali! You got a Harley under that cover other there?" she said, indicating to a corner where the agents were allowed to store their personal cars.

"Better," smirked Jaye, which made Courtney follow, out of curiosity.

"Oh wow, is that a Duc?" sighed Courtney as Jaye took the cover off her bike. "I can't believe you kept this from me! When are you going to let me take it out?" she demanded.

Jaye chuckled. "It's been modified, so I'd have to give you a few lessons first. Now, don't get your knickers in a bunch," she grinned at Courtney's pout. "I have a...cousin who's into gadgets and this one has a few. Too bad I left the 911 back in Britain!" she teased.

Courtney whistled. "Maybe I should be working for MI-6!" she teased as by Jaye threw her leg over the bike and hiked her duffel higher on her shoulder. A few murmured words in Gaelic, and the bike started by itself. Courtney's eyes widened. "That is _so_ cool! Okay, promise to show me the tricks when you get back?"

Jaye laughed. "Why not?" she said. "See you in a couple days!" With that, she drove off.

Flint looked up from where he was working on his car, a restored Mustang. "Nice bike," he commented casually to Cover Girl.

She smiled, a wistful look in her eyes. "Wasn't it?" she said dreamily. "Maybe I should've asked her for her cousin's number instead!" She frowned, thinking. "Wonder how he got a starter that works on voice command." She wandered back over to the tank she had been working on, lost in thought.

Flint frowned. "Hey Courtney – do you know where Jaye said she was going on her time off?"

She shrugged, her attention back on the tank. "Don't know. Probably museums, shopping, you know, the usual," she replied, her voice muffled as she had her head back in the engine.

Flint wiped his hands and looked thoughtfully in the direction Lady Jaye had taken. Making a quick decision, he jumped in his car and decided to take it for a ride.


	12. Chapter 12

Walking through the National Gallery of Art, Jaye felt a sense of peace overcome her. She had missed this, the freedom of going anywhere, doing anything at any time. She liked her work with GI Joe, but this was what she had missed. She sat down on one of the benches in a gallery and simply enjoyed the atmosphere.

A man sat next to her, facing the opposite side. "The laird requests a meeting, my lady," he said softly, his brogue bringing back memories of her childhood.

"This is not a good time," she whispered in Gaelic. She moved to get up, but the man's arm clamped around her, forcing her back down.

"I dinna think it a suggestion but an order from the laird of yer clan," he said disapprovingly. Jaye sighed and closed her eyes. "Is he here?" she asked, still speaking Gaelic.

"Nay, not here, but nearby," he said. "Let us go."

Jaye let him lead her to the entrance of the museum. She debated on escaping, but knew they would find her eventually. While she did not want to face the laird, she certainly didn't want to disgrace her family. They could do that on their own, she thought harshly.

"Where are we going?" she asked once more in Gaelic.

"I always remember ye bein' the curious lass," the man sighed. "A restaurant just up the block. We've been looking for you for awhile, knowing they'd be giving you leave at some time and that you would end up here."

They reached the restaurant and the two were led to a table in a dark corner, where a figure sat hidden in the shadows.

The man bowed to the figure and left. Jaye sighed and sat down in the empty chair.

"Glad to see you could make it, Alison. Sorry for the subterfuge, but we needed to talk."

"You do realize what this could mean if I was seen talking with you!" Jaye hissed at him. "How dare you use the laird and clan against me! I should say the hell with it and just take you in."

He gave a deep throated laugh. "I don't think you will. Your sense of family hasn't betrayed us yet, has it, my dear niece?"

Jaye crossed her arms. "Make it quick," she grumbled. "I have plans and I don't want to be late."

He gave another laugh. "Always the stubborn one, weren't you, my dear! I know you are not an active board member of MARS, but we would like to buy your share in the company."

Jaye gasped. "That's my heritage! How dare you!" she seethed. "I would never! You may be bringing it down, but there are those that will help rise above what you have made it into. I would want to be part of that era. I refuse to accept yours or Cobra's money! If that is all you want, you have my answer. I will take my leave!"

Destro studied his niece. "So, what you are saying is that you want to become an active member to save the company?" he asked, knowing that it would raise her ire.

Jaye got up. "I came when you beckoned, but know this – it will be the last time. Do not ask again for me to sell my share nor give up my birthright. Good day!" She turned around and left the restaurant. She was seething. How dare he! What was the whole purpose of this little meeting? If he had merely wanted her stock, he would've sent her a letter at headquarters and blown her cover. He would have thought that amusing, she knew. She wanted to leave before he started talk about Cobra. Although they had been discussing everything in Gaelic, she was still worried. This was Washington, D.C., and spies were everywhere. She wondered if his true purpose was to discredit her to the Joes.

She had to blink several times to adjust her eyes in the sunlight from the gloom of the restaurant. Frowning, she found her Duc and made her way back to the hotel she had booked a room in. She was glad she had reserved the room under one of her aliases. No need to have either a clan member or a Cobra agent show up in her room unannounced!

Relaxing in her bubble bath, she sighed and willed her mind at peace. Yeah right, she told herself. Her past just could not leave her alone. She had come to GI Joe to make a new start, but it seemed her other life was trying to catch up with her. She slid under the water, holding her breath. It would be easy just to drift away, a voice in her head said. No worries, no cares, just the peace you've been craving, it implored. She emerged from the water, shaking the soap from her hair. No, I'm not a quitter and I don't take the easy way out, she admonished herself, surprised those thoughts were even in her head.

Getting out, she dried and got dressed. Looking in the mirror, she smiled at herself. She did not know of one of her teammates who would have recognized her. She guessed some would have a good laugh that she could look this way! She called down to the concierge and made sure the car she ordered was waiting to take her to the play. While she was used to being able to afford what she wanted, it wasn't something she liked to flaunt. Hearing some of the backgrounds of her teammates, and how they had fought their way up from poverty, it had made her clam up even more about her background. Let them think that her pay from MI-6 allowed her to live comfortably. They didn't need to know how comfortable she could make herself!

The play had been entertaining and well directed. As Jaye left the theater alone, she felt a pang as she noticed the couples around her. She and Mike used to….no, better not go there. The Mike she knew is no more, replaced by the stranger, Zartan.

Not looking where she was going, Jaye tripped over a wrinkle in the carpet and stumbled. "Allow me, my lady," murmured a male voice, helping her up. She looked up, stunned. Flint stood there, grinning at her.

"What, surprised to see me? Yes, Flint knows culture," he mocked in his best caveman voice.

"Well, yes…I mean, no…." she sighed and closed her eyes. Opening them, she looked up at Flint. "Let's start over. Hey there, fancy seeing you here!" she said in a cheerful voice.

He chuckled. "Since we're off base, how about we make it Dash and….Alison or Ali?" he asked.

"Either one is fine," she said, surprised at how glad she was to see him. "So, what did you think of tonight's performance?"

"How about we talk about it over a cup of coffee?" he suggested. "There's a great little café not too far from here."

Jaye smiled. "Sure. Um, let me tell my 'cab' I don't need it, ok? I'll be right back," she called over her shoulder. She didn't want him to see the Mercedes waiting for her outside. She quickly found the driver and let him know she wouldn't be needing him. As she turned away from him, she found Flint right behind her.

"Cab drivers must be dressing nicer these days," he mused. "Usually mine look like they've been sleeping in their clothes for days!"

"Where is this café that's so great?" she teased, trying to distract his train of thought.

They discussed the play and other things as they sat in the café. Jaye was surprised to learn that Flint had attended Oxford and been a Rhodes Scholar. "Literature, huh?" she teased. "Would your super weapon then be throwing quotes at the enemy?"

"Very funny," he said. "What about you?"

"Bryn Mawr, then Trinity. I studied a little of this and that and ended up a linguist. Did a little acting here and there as well." She shrugged at his surprised look. "I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. When MI-6 came calling, it seemed the way to go at the time."

"You grew up in Scotland, but you also have American citizenship as well. I'm surprised the CIA didn't recruit you," he joked.

She shocked him when she glibly replied, "They did. I didn't want to work for them. MI-6 offered more action. I didn't want to be stuck behind some desk job just because I know a few languages and the fact that I'm a woman. Europeans aren't as stuck on that as the Americans are," she said pointedly.

Flint had the grace to look away. "Ok, call us old fashioned," he argued. "You have to admit, though, that if you look at the number of women selected for our group…"

"Women," she interrupted, "that were chosen by, hmmm, let's see…the founders of GI Joe, which would be…men!" she argued.

They debated late into the night. At one point, they looked around and realized they were the only customers left in the café. Flint glanced at his watch and gasped. "It's 3 in the morning!" he laughed.

Jaye smiled at him. "I guess we should be going. I had a nice time, Dash," she said sincerely, squeezing his hand.

He smiled in return. "Me too," he said softly, holding on to her hand. "It's nice to get away from the day to day, isn't it?"

She realized she was still holding his hand and let it go, embarrassed. "Well," she said yawning, "I guess I'd better head back to my hotel."

He smiled. "My car's in the parking garage. How about I give you a lift? Where are you staying?"

Jaye felt uncomfortable telling him where, but she also knew that late night in D.C. was not the place to go walking at night. She doubted she could get a cab at this hour as well.

"At the Fairmont," she replied, giving him directions. They walked to his car and he opened the door for her. She smiled her thanks and got in.

"So, southern boy?" she teased.

"No, Midwest farm boy. Kansas."

"Ah, Dorothy," she said in a serious voice. She gave him a sideways glance and smiled. It had really been an enjoyable evening.

Too soon they were at her hotel. Flint whistled as he drove up to the curb.

"Thanks for the ride," she smiled in at him. At his questioning glance, she shrugged and said, "So I like to treat myself sometimes. I'll see you back at the base?"

He smiled. "Sure. I had a nice time."

"Me too," she smiled in return and meant it. Impulsively, she leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for a really nice ending to the night."

She got out and walked into the hotel, his eyes following her every step of the way.


	13. Chapter 13

Jaye woke up to sunlight streaming into her room. She lazily stretched, a small smile on her face. She hadn't woken up like this in a long time. "I have got to get a bed like this on base," she muttered, snuggling down deeper in the covers for a moment.

With the thought of the base came thoughts of her late night, and more importantly, who she had spent it with. Now that, she reasoned, had been a surprise. He was definitely different off base than on. She wondered if the poet and the soldier ever mixed.

Unfortunately, thoughts of her meeting with her uncle also came creeping into her mind. Her smile turned into a frown. She sighed, wondering what she was going to do about that.

Getting up, she figured she'd better start the day since she was due back on base by 6pm. She showered, changed, and figured she'd hit the Smithsonians for the rest of the day.

As she arrived back on base after a relaxing, uneventful day, she couldn't help but wonder how last night would affect her working relationship with Flint. He was a professional, but often distant. Now that they understood each other a little better, than maybe things might be more relaxed between them. She found she was looking forward to that.

"Have a nice time?" asked Scarlett as Jaye entered the living area, flipping through the channels on the TV.

Jaye smiled. "Pretty good. Nice to have some time off now and then. Anything interesting happen while I was away?"

Cover Girl stuck her head out of the small kitchen the girls shared. "Are you kidding? I swear, this has been the slowest week! I think I even have everything repaired up to this point! If we don't see any action soon, I might just have to break one just to have something to do!"

"You could just drive something…that'll do it," teased Scarlett.

Jaye flopped down on the couch next to Scarlett. "Nothing like coming back and having guard duty. How did you two get off so easy?"

"Hey, we were good girls and finished all our chores!" teased Cover Girl, shouting from the kitchen. "Not to mention it gave me time to make you ladies a gourmet meal!"

"Macaroni and cheese," whispered Scarlett to Jaye. "I think I saw the box."

"I heard that!" shouted Cover Girl. "Don't knock it until you try it! It's gotta be better than what they're serving the guys tonight!"

Jaye grinned at Scarlett. "Yeah, you know what the gourmet part is, right? She adds hot dogs to it."

Cover Girl entered the living area, juggling three bowls. "Voila! Dinner is served!" she announced, handing each woman a bowl and spoon.

"Thanks for cooking," Scarlett said sincerely. "I swear, I'm so tired after Beach Head's impromptu PT today that I can't even move from the couch. Too bad you'll miss movie night!" she told Jaye.

Jaye shrugged. "Guess that's what I get for taking time off. Glad I missed Beach's torture session though!"

Cover Girl rolled her eyes. "Like you would've had a problem with it. I heard him talk to you about it before you left. I think you took off on purpose!" she teased.

Jaye finished her bowl and then took it into the kitchen. "Sorry ladies, but I have the glamorous job of guard duty! I must be going!" She slipped into her bedroom, changed into her uniform, and left the women's quarters, heading for the control room.


	14. Chapter 14

She smiled when she saw Mainframe in the room. "Are you my partner in crime tonight?" she asked him in a teasing tone.

He gave a dramatic sigh. "As much as I'd like to say I am, I'm afraid you have to suffer through with Beachie tonight. Good luck!" he said, placing a hand on her shoulder as he left the room.

Jaye rolled her eyes. She really didn't mind Beach Head since they had an understanding between the two of them. She couldn't blame the others for dreading spending time with the man who put them through PT torture.

Speak of the devil, she thought as he entered the control room. He gave a smirk when he saw her.

"I hear you ran them through pretty hard today," smiled Jaye. "You decided to go with the rope?"

Beach Head's smile grew. "Yeah. Poor saps, they just couldn't make it," he said, shaking his head.

"I'm sure you'll have them whipped into shape soon enough!" she told him, keeping half an eye on the screen.

Flint poked his head into the control room, looking at Beach Head. "Duke wants to see you in his office. Says its important and can't wait. I can stay here while you go," he told him. Beach muttered something and hustled off.

Jaye glanced sideways at Flint from where she was sitting. He had yet to look at her. Should she say something? She wasn't sure. _God, I feel like I'm on a first date_, she almost giggled aloud.

"So, you recovered from last night?" she asked, smiling at him, deciding to break the silence.

Flint glanced over at her. "Last night?" he questioned, eyebrows drawn together.

It was Jaye's turn to look confused. "You know, the play, the coffee…."

Flint turned his full attention on her. "Lady Jaye, I have no idea what you're talking about. I was on guard duty last night."

"Um, never mind." Jaye stared at the screen, not really seeing it. Instead, she was going over in her head the previous night. It _did_ happen, she knew it had! Why was he acting that way, unless he was trying to cover it up? Why would he say he was on guard duty?

"Are you okay?" Flint asked her, moving closer to check out the screen she was watching.

"Headache," Jaye lied, although she did feel one coming on. _What the hell is going on?_ she wondered. _I'm not insane! I know he and I were together last night._

She figured she could check the duty roster, but why would he have a reason to lie? It was just them in the control room, it wasn't like he was trying to hide the fact from someone.

Beach Head strode back into the room, took one look at Jaye's frown and glared at Flint. "What the hell did you do now?" he barked.

Flint looked taken aback. "Me? I think you need to think about whom you're talking to, soldier," he barked back, hands on hip, glaring back at Beach Head.

Jaye looked up, so lost in her own thoughts, that the men's confrontation hadn't pierced it. "Hey Beach," she said, seeing that he had returned, her eyes returning to the screen to make sure she hadn't missed anything.

Beach Head looked at Flint. "Don't you have somewhere to be going?"

Flint growled an inaudible reply and left the room.

"You okay?" Beach asked Jaye. She sighed, knowing she normally hid her emotions better.

"Headache," she said, not lying this time since she felt like a knife was slicing through her head.

"You look pale," he told her. "You need to go see the medic?"

She was touched by his concern, but hated to show any kind of weakness, especially in front of her commanding officers. "I'll be okay," she shrugged. "Maybe take some pills later."


	15. Chapter 15

By the time she got off duty, her head felt like it was being used by a mariachi band. She was glad the girls were asleep so she could go straight to sleep after taking some aspirin.

The last person she expected to run into was Flint. Jaye had just left the control room and entered the maze of hallways when she almost ran into the warrant officer. He reached out to steady her as they nearly collided. He gave her a lopsided smile and asked if she was okay.

Jaye looked at him, a confused expression on her face. He seemed much nicer than he had earlier in the control room. His next words to her made her feel like she had lost her mind.

"So," began Flint, still giving her that little smile, "I was wondering if, well, next time we're off, you wanted to go grab coffee again."

Jaye felt like she wanted to scream, her head pounding. "When we were in the control room, why did you pretend it hadn't happened?"

It was Flint's turn to look confused. "I wasn't in the control room tonight, or at least, I didn't see you in there."

"Sorry," mumbled Jaye. "I need to go."

She really needed that aspirin now. _What the hell game was he trying to pull?_ she thought. Shaking her head, she made her way back to her quarters, thinking she really needed to be in bed.

Over the next few days, Lady Jaye continued to have just as confusing conversations with Flint as before. At times, he was almost hostile to her, while others, it was like he was trying to get her to go on a date with him. She felt like she was slowly losing it! Her best bet, she thought, was to avoid him all together, which she tried to do unless they literally ran into one another.

A few nights later, she awoke from a familiar nightmare with a silent scream, sweat dripping off her. She ran to the bathroom and was sick. Sitting back on the cold linoleum, she thought back to the dream. She hadn't had it for several months - her last few moments with her former partner, when he had tried to gun her down. Why had it come back after all this time?

She knew the answer to it as soon as her heartbeat began to slow down and her head began to clear. With all the confusion about Flint, she figured she had really been losing it when she could swear she was seeing glimpses of her former partner. She had seen his face as one of the Greenshirts, but when she approached the man, it had turned out to be someone different. Another time, she had been on her way to the mess hall with Cover Girl and could've sworn she saw him turn the corner in front of them, but when she had rushed ahead, there had been no one there. She had to think quick for an explanation as to why she had run ahead, when Cover Girl had questioned her. A third time, she thought he was ahead of her on one of Beach Head's courses, but of course, as before, it wasn't him.

She was really losing it, she sighed to herself, leaning her head back against the wall. First with Flint, then with glimpses of Michael, now Zartan…..

She called herself an idiot in several different languages. She should've known, should've guessed that the warrant officer wouldn't have gotten that friendly, that fast. Zartan had been playing with her the whole time! The glimpses of his once familiar face, along with Flint's confusing behavior, was starting to make sense. Her next thought almost made her sick again – should she report the incident to the Joes? Zartan had impersonated a team member, which was serious, as well as infiltrated their base. She just didn't know if it was directed at the Joes…or at her. Combining that with her run-in with her uncle….

She felt a little better after taking a cold shower. Glancing at the clock, she saw it wasn't worth going back to the bed, knowing Beach would probably call them for PT soon. She got dressed and wandered into the kitchen, knowing she'd better have something in her stomach before going through one of his hellish courses.


	16. Chapter 16

"Does he watch horror movies every night just to get ideas?" murmured Cover Girl as she and Jaye finished the course for the third time. Jaye was too tired to manage a smile, but nodded her head in agreement.

A water bottle was tossed her way and she managed to find the energy to reach out and catch it. Beach Head smirked at the two females, leaning up against one of the exterior barriers of his course. He thought about making them run through the course again, as he had some of the other Joes, but he was concerned by Jaye's pale face. She never complained about his course, and although would be tired after a couple run-throughs, her face was usually red by then, not devoid of color.

So as not to show favoritism, he lobbed another water bottle at Cover Girl, who caught it, giving him a look.

"I guess you ladies have duties to attend to. Dismissed!" he barked at them, watching Jaye walk away with some concern. If she didn't look better by lunch, he was going to order her to visit the medic. No use having a sick soldier, he told himself. He'd say the same to anyone, no matter what gender, he told himself.

Cover Girl walked back to the barracks with Jaye, noticing her pale face. "You okay?"

Jaye shrugged. "Maybe after a shower. Tough course today."

Cover Girl nodded in agreement, not saying much. Normally, she knew, Jaye didn't complain about the course, almost running them with amusement. Sometimes, she knew, Beach Head had even consulted with her on some of them. Not the case today, she thought.

The ladies showered and reported for duty, Cover Girl to the garage, Jaye to her office she shared with Scarlett and the other intell. She had grabbed a protein bar before leaving her room and was starting to feel a little better after taking a couple bites.

She was almost relieved when Duke told her he needed to see her in his office. She wanted a mission, off this base, her mind busy with other things, so she wouldn't dwell on her early morning revelation. She still had no idea what to do or who to report it to. She was almost embarrassed that Zartan had managed to fool her so easily. Maybe pride was getting in her way? She sighed.

Unfortunately, Duke had wanted her opinion on a few things, not to give her a mission. Walking away from his office, she had an idea, and went to the training room. She was glad to see she was right when she saw Snake Eyes was indeed there, going through some moves with Scarlett. She waited until they were done, although she was sure Snake Eyes was aware of her as soon as she entered the room. She had grown to really respect and trust the ninja.

Scarlett smiled when she noticed Lady Jaye standing in the shadows. "Your next victim?" she laughed to Snake Eyes, who you could almost imagine smiling back at her under his mask.

"I need to talk to both of you, someplace where we won't be overheard," Jaye said softly when she approached the two. Cover Girl was her fun-loving, daredevil friend, but Scarlett would be the one to go to for confidentiality as well as insight. The same with Snake Eyes.

"Want to go for a walk?" asked Scarlett, looking serious.

Jaye nodded. She mentioned a secluded place on the base where she felt they wouldn't be bothered or overheard.

When the three met, Jaye found she couldn't stay still. So, as she told the two her tale she tended to pace. Scarlett felt a bit like it was watching a tennis match.

Lady Jaye gave the two an abbreviated story of her connection with Cobra, her encounter with her former partner in Germany, and the fake Flint, as well as the glimpses she kept seeing of Michael aka Zartan.

Jaye looked at the two. "I have no idea what to do. I feel that this is aimed towards me, but don't know what I should do….." She trailed off, not knowing what to say next.

Scarlett and Snake Eyes had been listening without comment through the whole story. They looked at each other and seemed to silently communicate. Jaye waited patiently, having seen the two interact before and know that in their own way, they were discussing what she said. She was actually glad it was silent, since she hated to be discussed when she was standing right there. She had enough of that growing up with her controlling mother.

Jaye looked off in the distance and was lost in her own thoughts when Scarlett cleared her throat.

"Snake and I have been talking," she began, looking uncomfortable. "You need to go to Duke about it. If not Duke, then Hawk. I know you don't want anyone to know your ties with Cobra, but if Zartan is messing with your head, it's like he's messing with all of us. Not to mention, an enemy agent who infiltrated the base. We're a team, remember?" she said, her voice softening. "We'll stand behind you."

Jaye nodded. Although she had fought to be independent all her life, she was almost happy that the two had made the decision for her.

Scarlett glanced at Snake Eyes again, then back at Jaye. "I think it would be best if we try to trap Zartan as well. Have Duke call Flint to his office. Maybe we'll be able to nab both of them. Do you think Zartan is still on base?"

Jaye shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't seen anything today and frankly have been avoiding Flint. Do you really think both would report to Duke's office?" she asked skeptically. "I think it's odd no one else has reported anything…I mean, two of the same person walking around….unless…." she paused, thinking.

"Unless he changed disguises right after you saw him," Scarlett translated aloud as Snake Eyes signed to them.

"That makes sense," said Jaye slowly. She looked at the two. "It's nice to know I'm not totally crazy. I have to admit, I was getting close to checking myself in somewhere!"

Scarlett sighed, giving Jaye a sympathetic look. "We really need to call Hawk in on this."

Jaye looked down, thinking. "I know," she said, her voice soft. "I just hate to disappoint him."

Scarlett came over and put her arm around Jaye. "Honey, you're not disappointing anyone. In fact, you're the only one who knew Zartan had infiltrated the base. Who knows what else he could be doing if you hadn't discovered him!"

Jaye nodded, not convinced. "Let's go, then," she said, her voice still soft.


	17. Chapter 17

The trip to Duke's office seemed to take forever. Snake Eyes walked with Jaye, a hand at her back for support. Scarlett had gone on ahead to find Duke and Hawk.

All five met in Duke's office. Taking a deep breath, Jaye explained her theory of the two Flints, simply saying that she felt that the officer was displaying two different attitudes as well as contradicting statements to her. She knew General Hawk knew of her background, the man having recruited her in the first place.

"I have reason to believe that Zartan, a Cobra agent, has infiltrated the base, imitating both Flint as well as other personnel, for the last week. I also suspect that it was aimed towards me, since no one else seem to notice anything wrong, and," she paused, "he imitated the face of my former partner for MI-6." She explained her different encounters with him.

The two commanding officers were quiet, nodding their head at times. Lady Jaye wasn't sure what they were thinking.

Finally, Duke spoke. "Why do you feel that this was targeted towards you?" he asked quietly.

Jaye blushed. "Well, sir," she began, embarrassed, "Zartan is basically a mercenary that is used by Cobra. However, I feel that my uncle hired him to target me because I refused to sell out my shares of the family business."

She looked at Hawk for help, not sure how much she was allowed to reveal.

Hawk nodded. Turning to the rest of the group, he filled in the blanks. "Lady Jaye's family owns MARS Industries, so her uncle, who we know as Destro, aligned with Cobra against the family's wishes." He turned back to Jaye. "I wish you would've come to me when your uncle approached you. We need to be apprised of such things."

Jaye nodded, embarrassed again. "Sorry, sir. I thought it was a family matter that was solved. I should've known better, and not underestimated my uncle," she said angrily, her fists clenched.

Snake Eyes put a comforting hand on her shoulder and she smiled at him, loosening her fists. She was grateful for the ninja's presence. He invoked a calm in her at times that was almost magical, she believed.

Hawk nodded. "I can understand that, and your need to keep your family business private. However, since it has compromised the base, we need to decide what to do about it."

"We need to set a trap," Scarlett said, speaking for the first time since entering the room.

"You have an idea?" Duke asked, eyebrows raised.

She nodded. "We need to somehow get Flint to come to your office. We'll have to decide if he is the real or fake, and if luck is with us, both will respond." She shrugged. It seemed pretty simple to her.

"Question is," Duke mused, stroking his chin with his hand, "how will we tell the real from the fake?"

Snake Eyes stepped forward and signed something. Jaye nodded and turned to the group. "I think with Snake's help, we could do it, as well as some questions that only the real Flint would know, like something that happened on a mission that wasn't in a report, for instance."

The group nodded in agreement. Hawk turned to Lady Jaye. "It might be best if you're seen in the building when he's called in here. That way, we're not raising suspicion. We also need to be provided with a photograph of your former partner, if available, so we can catch him if this doesn't work."

Lady Jaye looked pained for a moment, but nodded. She turned to Scarlett. "I think we can run a check on him and find something in the database." They hurried to the intell office.

The three remaining men looked at one another. "Okay, men, let's do this," Hawk said gruffly. He felt sorry for Lady Jaye. Unlike the others, he knew her entire history and had known her family for years. He knew what a shock it was when the current head of her clan, James McCullen, had decided to align with Cobra, how her former partner had defected, and how much it still probably affected her, although most of her teammates would never know. There were many things she had to overcome in her life that made her into the person she was today. He was proud of her. He knew how hard it was for her to come to them about this, knowing she would have tried to solve it by herself and take care of it. He sighed. Sometimes the self-sufficient, independent spirit she had could be detrimental.

Shaking his head, he focused on the job at hand – outing Zartan. Duke had already sent for Flint, and they were awaiting his arrival. Both men stiffened when they heard a knock on the door. At the same time, Duke's email chimed and they saw Scarlett had sent the picture. There was no time to open it before Flint entered the room.

He looked at both men and smiled. "Did I forget a party?" he joked.

"Come on in and have a seat, Flint," gestured Hawk, indicating a chair in front of Duke's desk. Flint looked puzzled by the tone of voice, but did as he was asked.

Duke looked up from the email he had been reading. He almost sighed aloud at the slow download time that was preventing him from seeing the picture in full. Scarlett had found a picture and had used an age progression program, since the picture they found was at least 10 years old.

Duke sighed, looking at Flint, wondering exactly _who_ he was looking at – his friend, or his enemy.

"We seem to have a traitor in our midst," he sighed. "We need your help capturing him."

Flint's eyebrows raised. "How do we know this?" he asked cautiously, not sure he liked Duke's tone.

"Let's just say we have some evidence that recently revealed itself. I can't divulge anything more than that," he said cryptically.

Hawk interjected. "What we need is your help ferreting out the traitor, or spy – we are not sure which it is. However, we have reason to believe it might be Lady Jaye."

Flint jumped up, startled. "Are you sure, sir? That's quite an accusation to make! What evidence do you have that proves that?"

Hawk played his role well. He placed his hand on Flint's shoulder. "At ease, soldier. Let's just say her recent actions have been rather erratic and we believe she might have associations with Cobra. I'm surprised that you reacted in that way. I heard that she has been acting rather strange with you as well."

Flint looked thoughtful. "Now that you mention it, she has acted strange, but she attributed it to a headache." He shrugged. "I thought it was one of those female things."

"Just keep an eye on her, and report to us anything suspicious," Hawk said, ignoring his last remark.

"Yes, sir!" Flint said, saluting, then leaving the office.

Snake Eyes stepped out of the shadows.

"Well?" Both men looked at the ninja. He shook his head.

"That's what I thought," Hawk said. "Follow him. We'll have backup as soon as possible." He turned to Duke. "Find out where Lady Jaye is immediately and alert Scarlett not to leave her side! I think we might have caught our guy!"


	18. Chapter 18

Snake Eyes slipped out the doorway, finding the warrant officer quickly and following him at a distance. Scarlett and Lady Jaye came around the corner on their way to the mess hall and nearly collided with Flint.

"Lady Jaye," he said, looking down at her, his expression unreadable. "I need to speak to you. Alone."

Scarlett looked behind him and met Snake Eye's gaze. He shook his head.

Scarlett played her part as well. "Well, I can see when I'm not wanted! I'll catch up with you later, honey," she told Jaye, patting her on the shoulder, giving her a squeeze as a warning.

Jaye looked at "Flint" and gestured at one of the empty offices. "Is this all right?"

He nodded, following her in and shutting the door.

"They're on to you," he hissed. "You might as well give up and leave!"

Jaye pretended to look confused. "Flint, what are you talking about?"

"You're a Cobra spy!" he accused. "Blood doesn't lie, does it? Better off with your uncle, aren't you sweetie?"

Jaye narrowed her eyes at the man. "Give it up, Mike! I told you before I wasn't joining and whatever you and my uncle have cooked up is over!"

"Flint" laughed, a low menacing sound. "Mike is dead, didn't you know that, Alison? There's only Zartan!" he said, revealing himself to her.

The door burst open and Scarlett, Duke, Snake Eyes, and Hawk blocked the entrance.

"Give it up, Zartan!" called Duke.

Zartan grabbed Lady Jaye, spinning her around and producing a gun, which he held to her throat. "Is she worth it?" he asked, laughing. Before she could say anything, he knocked her out with the butt of the gun, catching her unconscious form and holding her up.

As the Joes approached him, he moved the gun to her back. "Not any closer! I'm not going to kill her, since her uncle wants her alive. However, a shot to the right place would cause more pain and torture than you can imagine, not to mention cripple her for life! Grant me safe passage and she just _might_ live!"

He gave another laugh as he hoisted her onto his shoulder. "Farewell, Joes! It's been nice…no, wait, it hasn't! Sorry I can't stay – I have a package to deliver!"

The group stood to the side as he walked past them.

Scarlett looked frantic. "Now what?" she asked the men, shocked they were letting Zartan get away.

She turned to ask Snake Eyes something and saw he was gone. At least _someone_ was doing something! she thought.

"He won't get far," Hawk promised Scarlett. "It's all part of the plan."

Snake Eyes appeared, carrying the still unconscious form of Lady Jaye, followed by the real Flint, who was dragging a handcuffed Zartan.

Scarlett let out a gasp and rushed over to Lady Jaye. "Is she okay?"

Flint spoke. "She should be fine. We managed to ambush this one before he did anything," he said, indicating Zartan with a nod of his head. "What should we do with him?"

Jaye moaned and opened her eyes. She looked up at Snake Eyes and smiled and said a quiet thanks.

He set her on her feet, and she looked over at her former partner.

She let loose with a rampant of words in Gaelic, cursing him up and down. The others weren't sure what she was saying, but knew it couldn't be too nice by the murderous look on Zartan's face.

"And you can tell my uncle that it'll be a cold day in Hell before he gets mine or my family's shares!" she finished in English, her eyes narrowed.

Flint looked confused, the one member of the group who didn't know the whole story. "Am I missing something?" he asked the others. They smiled in response.

"Take him to the brig," ordered Hawk to several Greenshirts who appeared in the hallway. "Snake Eyes and Duke, you go with them in case Zartan decides to try anything!"

"So, is anyone going to tell me exactly what's going on?" asked Flint to Scarlett, Hawk, and Lady Jaye.

Hawk laughed. "Seems you had a doppelganger, Flint, but fortunately, Lady Jaye got wind of it." He patted the warrant officer on the back. "Nice job, Alison," he told her with a smile before he walked off.

"Thanks, sir," Jaye replied, blushing at the use of her given name.

Scarlett smiled. "Maybe you'd be best to explain it to Flint then," she told Lady Jaye. Jaye shot her a look, but Scarlett, still smiling, wandered down the hallway.

Jaye sighed. Turning to Flint, she asked him, "So, what did they tell you?"

He frowned. "Only that I would probably need to rescue you and that if I saw either myself or someone dragging you or carrying you out, I was to do everything in my power to stop you."

Jaye blushed. "If he hadn't knocked me out, I could've handled him myself," she grumbled, embarrassed.

"Well, I guess this answers the question as to why you've been so moody lately," he suddenly grinned at her.

"Moody?" she huffed, indignant. "What's that supposed to mean? I had to deal with two of you, not knowing which one I was dealing with – the nice one or the mean one!"

Flint smiled, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. "So, which one do you think was the real me?"

She glared at him. "It's hard to tell!"

He chuckled, rather liking the fire in her eyes that appeared when she was angry or irritated.

"Maybe you can tell me more over a cup of coffee? I know this nice café…." he began, looking at her for a reaction.

She looked wary. "So was that you, or not?"

He smiled. "Maybe we should just start over, just to be on the safe side," he said, taking her hand and squeezing it.

She smiled. "Maybe," was all that she would say.


End file.
